With Justice Juan Merchan presiding, attorneys for both sides made their opening statements in former President Donald Trump's hush money/election interference trial on Monday morning, April 22.
Matthew Colangelo, a prosecutor for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr.'s office, laid out a case for Trump's guilt on 34 counts. And Todd Blanche, representing Trump's defense team, argued that Bragg's charges had no merit.
Former National Enquirer CEO David Pecker was brought to the stand as the first witness. And other key witnesses who are expected to testify include Michael Cohen (Trump's former personal attorney and fixer), adult film star Stormy Daniels, former Playboy model Karen McDougal and former Trump White House adviser Hope Hicks.
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It remains to be seen whether or not Trump himself will testify. Many people with legal backgrounds, including Cohen, have argued that Trump will only hurt his case by testifying. But former Manhattan prosecutor Adam Kaufman has a different viewpoint.
During an April 22 interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Kaufmann — who worked in the Manhattan DA's Office for 18 years — laid out some reasons why taking the stand might be beneficial for Trump.
Kaufmann told Cooper, "It's such a crazy case. I mean, usually, defense attorneys want to keep their clients off the stand. Donald Trump has said he wants to testify. You know, he's a compelling figure. And remember, he doesn't have to win the case. He doesn't have to convince 12 people that he's not guilty; he doesn't didn't have that burden that the prosecution has. He's looking for one person."
The former Manhattan prosecutor continued, "He needs one person to believe in him to hang the jury, and he might be able to do that testifying himself. So, I don't know: I wouldn't be surprised if he does testify in this case. And then, of course, there's the political aspect, which is missing from most cases. But he's running for president, and, you know, part of his calculus has to be: How does this play on the campaign trail? If I do testify, and if I don't testify?"
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During opening statements, Blanche aggressively attacked Cohen's credibility as a witness. But Kaufmann stressed that countless prosecutors have featured star witnesses who had much more troubling histories than Cohen.
Kaufmann told Cooper, "In the scheme of prosecution witnesses with checkered pasts, Michael Cohen is a veritable angel. You know, prosecutors put on drug dealers, murderers, thieves — it's the nature of the business. And juries listened to them. The prosecution has already signaled that this is coming. The jury knows it. The jury has heard of Michael Cohen, and they know about this whole checkered past."
Kaufmann continued, "It's almost as if — in this case, in particular, given all of the notoriety and publicity — Michael Cohen is baked into the case. No one is going to be surprised when he gets on the witness stand."
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Watch the full video below or at this link.
